The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-02-03

exchange shots with me; reckon he's tho
most satisfied of the lott don't know why
you should growl You did your level best
to get away from here, and the result is that
little Puritan is ready to worship you"
sYes-but this playing it on them-George
this"
.sWho's playing ita Not you; see you've
given away our names already"
II couldn't lie, and they know nothing by
that"
"Do you think they would be happier by
knowing it? Do you think that soft little
creature would be as happy as she was to-
night if she knew that her husband had been
indirectly the means of laying me by the
heels herea Where is the swindlea This
hole in my legs If you had been five min
utes under that girls id sympathetic
fingers you'd have thought it was genuine
Is it in our trying to get away? Do you call
that ten feet drift in the pass a swindle? Is
it in the chance of Hale getting back while
we're herea That's real enough, isn't ita I
say, Ned, did you ever give your unfettered
intellect to the contemplation Of that?"
Falkner did not reply. There was an in
terval of silence but he could see from the
movement of Georges shoulders that he was
shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Fancy Mrs. Hale archly introducing her
husbandl My Offering him q chair, but be-
ing all the time obliged to cover him with a
derringer under the bedclothes Your rush
ing in from your peaceful pastoral pursuits
in the barn, with pitchfork in one hand
IL H.
nanny sympathizing all round and trying
to make everything comfortable
II should not be alive to see it, George"
said Falkner, gloomily.
'You'd manage to pitchforiz me and those
two women on Hale's horse and ride away;
that's what you'd do, or I don't know you'll
Look here, Ned" he added, more seriously,
"the only swindling was our bringing that
note here. That was yoWr idea. You thought
it would remove suspicion, and as you be-
lieved | was bleeding to death you played
that game for all it was worth to save me.
You might have done what asked you to do
--propped me up in the bushes and got away
yourself. l was good for a couple of shots
yet and after that-what mattered! That
night, the next day, the next time take the
road, or year nencea 1t will come when 1t
will come, all the same!n
He did not speak bitterly, nor relax his
smile. Falkner, without speaking, slid his
hand along the coverlet. Lee grasped it, and
their hands remained clasped together for
few moments in silence.
"How is this to end9 We cannot go on
here in this way" said Falkner suddenly.
"f we cannot get away it must go on.
Look here Ned 1 don't reckon to take any
thing out of this house that didn't bring in
it, or isn't freely offered to me; yet don't,
otherwise, you understand, intend making
myself out a id bit better than l am.
That's the only excuse 1 have for not making
myself out just what am. / don't know
the fellow who's obliged to tell every one the
last company he was in or the last thing he
did, Do you suppose even these pretty little
women tell us their whole storys Do you
fancy that this st. John in the wilderness is
canonized in his family? Perhaps, when
take the liberty to intrude in his affairs, as
he has in mine, he'd see he isn't. don't
blame you for being sensitive, Ned. It's
vised statutes of his own state he is apt to be
awfully fine on points Of etiquette in his own
household. AS for me, / find it rather com
Portable here. The beds of other peoples
making strike me as being more satisfactory
than my own. Good night
In a few moments he was sleeping the
peaceful sleep of that youth which seemed to
l.; Jc,, UaIl
for little space and watched him, following
the boyish lines of his cheek ON the pillow,
from the shadow of the light brown lashes
under his closed lids to the lifting of his short
upper lip over his white teeth with his regu-
lar respiration Only sharp accenting of
the line of nostril and jaw and a faint de-
preston of the temple betrayed his already
tried manhood.
The house had long sunk to repose when
| Fall1ner returned to the window, and re-
manned looking out upon the storm Sud
denly he extinguised the light, and passing
| quickly to the bed laid his hand upon the
sleeper. Lee opened his eyes instantly.
"Are you awake!"
Perfectly"
Somebody is trying to get into the housew
"Not him, eh9" said Lee gayly.
"No; two men. Mexicans l think. One
looks like Manuel
"Ah," said Lee, drawing himself up to a
| sitting posture.
sWells1
"Don't you see2 He believes the women
are alone"
"Ihe dog-d-d houndi"
Speak respectfully Of one of my people,
if you please, and hand me my derringer.
Light the candle again and open the door.
Let them get in quietly. They'll come here
first It's his room, you understand, and If
there's any money it's here. Any way, they
must pass here to get to the women's rooms.
Leave Manuel to me and you take care of
the other"
81 seen
manuel knows the house and will come
first. When he's fairly i'll the room shut tho
This is just one of the sweetest things out
if it's done properly"
"But you, GeorgeP
'sIf couldn't manage that fellow without
turning down the bedclothes I'd kick myself.
Hush. Steady now"
He lay down and shut his eyes as if in
natural repose. Only his right hand, care
lessly placed under his pillow, closed on the
handle of his pistol. Falkner quietly slipped
into the passage The light of the candle
family illuminated the floor and opposite
wall, but left it on either side in pitchy OBJ
scurity.
For some moments the silence was broken
only by the sound of the rain without The
recumbent figure in bed seemed to have ac-
tually succumbed to sleep. The multitude
nous small noises of house in repose might
have been misinterpreted by ears less keer
than the sleepers; but when the apparent
creaking of a far off shutter was followed by
the sliding apparition of a dark head of tan
gled hair at the door Lee had not been de
ceived. and was prepared as ii he had seen 1T